The Fiery Red Horse

 

When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword. (Revelation 6:3-4 ESV).

 

When Jesus opens the second seal, a fiery red horse comes out! It is very common for artists to use red sparingly because it commands attention. However, here we see God, the master painter, using the brightest red possible to paint the mission of this second rider.

This horseman receives power to “take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other.” Death in a manner and scale as never before is the result of this rider’s mission.

 

Peace, in this story, includes much more than just the absence of war. The Bible’s picture of peace is about the harmony in creation revealed in Genesis 1:31: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” The clearest example of this peace is found in the life of Jesus, given for our sake. He is described as the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). And when he was born, a multitude of angels from heaven gave glory to God and announced the coming of peace on earth (cf. Luke 2:14).

 

In the picture of the rider on a fiery red horse, however, this vision opens our eyes to the power of evil in our midst, robbing creation of God’s peace. We are especially warned to be on guard about this rider’s goal to create violence, making people kill each other. This shouldn’t surprise us. It shouldn’t shake our faith. It is merely the harbinger of God’s final redemptive work.

 

I have often been tempted to wander into the politics of violence in our world. However, I have been relatively successful through the decades. The reason for that is simply my understanding of what it means. Of course, I am not advocating that we should participate or commit such violence. We cannot control the timing of God’s work. However, we can recognize it and do our best to call people to the only redemption from such death and destruction. As our world seems to be spiraling out of control, we must see it as a call to spread the Gospel. This is the only real solution. We must not ignore our responsibility in keeping one another safe and secure from harm, but the only permanent solution is the redemptive work of Christ!